IHH Healthcare Malaysia supports national efforts to strengthen breastfeeding-friendly care

IHH Healthcare Malaysia and its hospitals recognised at the 2026 National World Breastfeeding Week Celebration

IHH Healthcare Malaysia is supporting the Ministry of Health’s efforts to strengthen breastfeeding-friendly practices nationwide as strategic partner for the 2026 National World Breastfeeding Week Celebration, held today at Prince Court Medical Centre.

Organised by the Ministry of Health, the national celebration brings together healthcare providers and professionals around a shared priority: giving mothers the right support to begin and continue breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding is natural, but it does not always come easily. The support a mother receives in the first hours and days after birth can shape her confidence to breastfeed and continue when she returns home.

The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) provides hospitals with a framework to translate evidence-based breastfeeding standards into everyday maternity and newborn care. This includes practices aligned with the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding and the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes.

Dr Kamal Amzan, Chief Executive Officer of IHH Healthcare Malaysia, said, “Breastfeeding support is not about one conversation with a mother. It depends on the practices around her from the time her baby is born, and having healthcare teams who know how to support her when things do not go as planned.”

“BFHI gives hospitals a clear framework to make that support more consistent. Our responsibility is to ensure these standards translate into what mothers actually experience in our care.”

Across IHH Healthcare Malaysia, efforts are continuing to strengthen breastfeeding-friendly practices and build the capability of doctors, nurses, dietitians and lactation counsellors so that mothers receive evidence-based support appropriate to their needs.

That support also needs to extend beyond the hospital stay. Questions and challenges can arise after a mother returns home, making it important that she leaves hospital with the knowledge and confidence to continue breastfeeding.

At today’s national celebration, IHH Healthcare Malaysia and three of its hospitals received recognition across four award categories:

• Pioneer Award for Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI), Recognition by Consortium: IHH Healthcare Malaysia and Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur
• Premier Award for Hospital Commitment to Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI): Prince Court Medical Centre
• First-Time Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) Recognition Award: Island Hospital and Prince Court Medical Centre
• Silver Jubilee Award for Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) Recognition: Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur

The awards reflect different stages of the BFHI journey across IHH Healthcare Malaysia, from hospitals gaining recognition for the first time to Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur that has sustained its recognition over 25 years. At the network level, IHH Healthcare Malaysia’s consortium recognition reflects the wider effort to strengthen BFHI practices across its hospitals.

IHH Healthcare Malaysia operates 18 hospitals nationwide, including Gleneagles Hospitals, Island Hospital, Pantai Hospitals, Prince Court Medical Centre and Timberland Medical Centre, and continues to work with the Ministry of Health and other healthcare stakeholders in support of national health priorities.